The Airmen and the Headhunters: A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II

The Airmen and the Headhunters
: A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II

November 1944: Their B-24 bomber shot down on what should have been an easy mission off the Borneo coast, a scattered crew of Army airmen cut themselves loose from their parachutes--only to be met by loincloth-wearing natives silently materializing out of the mountainous jungle. Would these Dayak tribesmen turn the starving airmen over to the hostile Japanese occupiers? Or would the Dayaks risk vicious reprisals to get the airmen safely home in a desperate game of hide-and-seek?

A cinematic survival story featuring a bamboo airstrip built on a rice paddy, a mad British major, and a blowpipe-wielding army that helped destroy one of the last Japanese strongholds, "The Airmen and the Headhunters" is also a gripping tale of wartime heroism unlike any other you have read.

Innermost Borneo: Studies in Dayak Cultures by Bernard Sellato.

Borneo, comparable in size to Texas (or the combined United Kingdom and France), is the planet ~ third largest island in the WORLD.

 Lying on the Equator, it possesses stunning tropical rain forests, among many other natural resources, and a broad variety of traditional cultures, among which the Dayak have long achieved world fame. T

his volume traverses thirty years of acquaintance with and work on the great island and its peoples. The author first went to Borneo in the early 1970s as a geologist, and has returned many times as an anthropologist and historian. The essays collected here focus on a set of small tribal minorities living in one of the most remote corners of the Borneo hinterland, the Muller Mountains. 

Among these groups, the Aoheng, with whom the author spent a number of years, feature prominently. With a multidisciplinary approach, this volume examines various facets of these peoples’ lives and cultures, from their history, economic system, and relation to the’ natural environment, to their social organization, beliefs, rituals, and world views. Altogether, it offers a comprehensive picture of innermost Borneo’s traditional life.

GET THIS BOOK for RM 89.50 at MPH ONLINE(CLICK HERE!!!!)

THE REVIEW:-

Innermost Borneo: Studies in Dayak Cultures.
by Simon Strickland 

SELLATO, BERNARD. Innermost Borneo: studies in Dayak cultures. 221 pp., maps, illus., bibliogrs. Singapore: Univ. Press, 2002. [euro]42.00 (paper) 

Bernard Sellato's authoritative studies of the nomadic tribes of Borneo have contributed greatly to the understanding of this ethnographically and historically complex field. This modest volume brings together various published and unpublished papers which help to place Bornean nomadic societies in a clearer light. 

Following a brief introduction, Sellato reviews early written sources on Borneo with particular reference to Nieuwenhuis's expeditions, and introduces the more general reader to the ethnography of the Upper Kapuas and the Upper Mahakam river systems. Researchers will find particularly useful the bibliography of early writings and Sellato's summary of the myriad ethnic groups of the region. The demographic data were collected one to two decades ago and are therefore dated: they indicate scale and the need for a systematic demography of these populations, but serve no clear analytical purpose. The meat of this volume is provided in the following ten chapters. These set out a range of arguments and pinpoint gaps in the evidence, but do not generally advocate any single overarching theory. 

Sellato documents, for example, how a liberal market and licensing system have enabled the Aoheng and others to overexploit edible birds' nests for personal gain. He argues that their behaviour effectively undermines concepts of sustainable development. However, the analysis is broad and shallow rather than systematic or evidence-based, and more data would be needed to substantiate these claims to a wider audience. 

Sellato's account of Bornean social organization extends well beyond the nomadic groups, and is both comprehensive and clear. He classifies the societies of Borneo according to nomadic, non-stratified, and stratified divisions. Applying Levi-Strauss's concept of the 'house', representing the family group as a legal entity, he argues that only stratified and a few non-stratified Bornean societies conform even approximately to this model. The scattered autonomy of nuclear families inhibits the emergence of 'houses', yet these can exist at different social levels. This analysis takes us well beyond Leach's observations on the importance of the 'house-owning group', which appears restricted largely to sedentary swidden rice cultivators of Sarawak, and reminds the reader that on Borneo social organization tends to ignore the political boundaries criss-crossing the island. 

More orginally, Sellato argues that utrolocality is correlated with former nomadism, and that Kajang groups were probably utrolocal and nomadic before adopting uxorilocality under Kayan influence (p. 98). This argument is more speculative and perhaps less persuasive than others in the book. Nor is the evidence presented as clearly as it might have been. However, this is fertile ground for analysis. It calls for a more subtle and comprehensive treatment of kinship terminology and practice than that shown here. 

Sellato's review of theories of origin of nomads in chapter 7 is full of insight but again short of the requisite linguistic and genetic evidence. He concludes that contemporary hunter-gatherers in Borneo stem from a culture independent of rice cultivators, and are not 'devolved' agriculturalists as some would have it. On this analysis, the Punan today represent what can happen when hunter-gatherers abandon the nomadic life for sedentary existence.The final six chapters are short case studies of Bukat myth, and of ethnogenesis, ritual, oral literature, and taxonomy of stone among the Aoheng. These emphasize the importance of delving beneath the face value of myths; and they illustrate the capacity of an ethnic group to emerge through the use of multiple terms of self-reference, of multiple types of leadership, and of ritual action conferring cultural identity while expressing a form of 'class struggle'. Sellato sees culture as largely unsystematic 'bits and pieces' (p. 187). Yet he also speculates that a quadripartite Aoheng social structure of aristrocrats, priests, warriors, and workers might have arisen by chance. It is a shame that he does not risk comparison with parts of South Asia where similar forms have been thought to obtain, perhaps even to have characterized an ancient substratum in the region. 

Although most of the chapters in this book have already been published as articles, and the initial impression is of a somewhat unsystematic collection, this volume brings Sellato's more scattered papers together in a coherent, thoughtful, and enlightening way. Observers and anthropologists of the Bornean social world should be grateful, and will anticipate his further publications with keen interest.SIMON STRICKLANDCabinet Office** The views expressed are the reviewer's 

alone and have no official UK government status.

The REVIEW from CLIFFORD SATHER(Link)

Seventeen Years Among The Sea Dyaks of Borneo by Edwin H. Gomes

The first half of the 20th century would seem to be the most prolific period for publications on the native people, land and culture of Borneo. This came after an earlier period of 50 years or more of exploring, ruling and Christianizing a country inhabited by these tribal races.Borneo: The Land of River and Palmwritten by Eda Green (1911) was aimed at promoting Christian mission work in Borneo.

 One of the missionaries who were in Borneo during this time and who, unlike Eda Green, lived among the natives of Borneo was Edwin H. Gomes. This book is an accumulation of seventeen years of first-hand life experiences among the Sea Dyaks in Sarawak with each chapter dedicated to a particular aspect of their life.

Christian missions had been working to spread the word of God among the indigenous population in Sarawak since the late 1800s. With limited manpower, their missionaries had to travel great distances to preach and set up churches to cater to the new converts. It was a monumental task as the traditional lifestyle of these people were so steeped in superstitions, taboos and customs so alien to any “civilized” foreigner to the country. To earn their trust, and open their hearts to new ideas and concepts, required an understanding of who these people really are. The author’s observations and views of these native tribes are categorized neatly into twenty-four chapters describing their lifestyle, character, social life, beliefs, feasts and folklore. His personal experiences give an indication of how they are perceived by the outside world where progress and modernization had changed traditional living in western societies.

The indigenous peoples of Sarawak had been living here for thousands of years before any of their personal history was written down. This book presents a valuable insight of who, or what, they were like when the world began to take notice that there were more exotic attractions in Sarawak than its trading commodities. The black and white photographs featured highlight the untamed beauty and grace of these people who, at the time this book was first published in 1911, was going through a period of dramatic changes during the rule of the White Rajas. This book is a must for those interested in the cultural heritage of Sarawak as it gives a renewed understanding of how they perceive and assimilate their surroundings, natural and spiritual, into their life history.

TO BUY: http://www.nhpborneo.com/order(click)

The Sarawak Museum Journal (100 Years (1911-2011 and 88 Volumes)

The Sarawak Museum Journal was first published in 1911, and still survives today, making it one of the world's oldest publications in the region.'

Its first seven issues were prepared and printed in England, but from 1918 until today, the journal has been printed in Sarawak.

The Sarawak Museum Journal is devoted to the advancement of knowledge in the natural and human sciences. It publishes articles pertaining to the Asian region in general, but particularly to Borneo and Sarawak. Generally, it will accept manuscripts from international scientists, but specifically it serves the need of local scientists especially those working with, and through the Sarawak Museum; to publish their research findings and to provide a forum for their scholastic discourse.

State Museum director Ipoi Datan said the journal, which had been in existence for more than 100 years already, had brought scholars to the state and other places in Borneo.

According to him, the journal, with a total of 88 volumes, had became a well-known source of reference among locals and international intellectuals carrying out research and analyses.

100 years and 88 volumes to show, Sarawak Museum Journal is a gold mine of heritage(The Star,Oct 13,2011)

Latest Issue - Vol. LXVII, No. 88 (New Series) December 2010
CONTENTS

I. SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
1. Sebayan: Iban belief about the afterlife and the Anglican mission in Sarawak 1848-1968
2. Relationship of etnicity, age and gender to incidence of bladder and nasopharyngeal cancers in Kuching, Sarawak
3. The impact of working time and work family culture towards work family conflict among career women in Sarawak

II. ARCHAEOLOGY 4. The Cultured Rainforest Project: Archaeological Investigations in the Third (2009) Season of fieldwork in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak
5. New Engravings discovered at Santubong, Sarawak, Malaysia

III. HISTORY
6. The Miri tulin and a Rajah's promise
7. In search of a German Consulate Consul Eschke's Journey to North Borneo, 28 August to 27 September 1897

IV. NATURAL HISTORY
8. Carnivore records, including updated records of the endermic Hose's Civet Diplogale bosei, from a logging concession in the Upper Baram, Sarawak
9. Distribution of intertidal Nematode from western Sarawak, Malaysia
10. Diversity of bats in two protected limestone areas in Sarawak, Malaysia
11.The endemic birds of Borneo and Sarawak
12. Fish assemblages inNanga Merit area, Kapit, Sarawak
13. Studies of Monstereae (Araceae) of Borneo I: Two Novel Anadendrum from Sarawak
14. A short note on the Heterocera of Peninjau, Mt. Serambu, Bau, Sarawak: A century after

Where Hornbills Fly : A Journey With The Headhunters Of Borneo by Jensen, Erik(2010)

Where Hornbills Fly :
A Journey With The Headhunters Of Borneo

ABOUT THIS BOOK
Once headhunters under the rule of White Rajahs and briefly colonised before independence within Malaysia, the Iban Dayaks of Borneo are one of the world's most extraordinary indigenous tribes, possessing ancient traditions and a unique way of life. As a young man Erik Jensen settled in Sarawak where he lived with the Iban for seven years, learning their language and the varied rites and practices of their lives. In this compelling and beautifully-wrought memoir, Erik Jensen reveals the challenges facing the Iban as they adapt to another century, whilst fighting to preserve their identity and singular place in the world. Haunting, yet hopeful, Where Hornbills Fly opens a window onto a vanishing world and paints a remarkable portrait of this fragile tribe, which continues to survive deep in the heart of Borneo.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Peace-Making
2. From the Old World – East
3. Sarawak and Up-river
4. Longhouse Living
5. To the Hornbill Festival
6. Revolt in the Lemanak
7. Ancient versus Modern
8. Out of Jungle a Centre
9. Poisoning, Omens and Hope
10. Progress then Bad News
11. World Events Intervene
12. Fit to Survive
THE official launch by Datuk Erik Jensen’s book: ‘Where Hornbills Fly – A Journey with the Headhunters of Borneo’, was held on March 31 this year at the Tun Jugah Foundation. It is a book which those with an interest in Sarawak, and more importantly on Iban society, would find an excellent read.

Jensen worked in Sarawak from 1959 to 1966. He came initially through the sponsorship of the Anglican Mission to do research on traditional society’s response to Christian evangelisation. He was later drawn to the practical issues of traditional society and how it reacts to the inevitable need for change. In 1974, ‘The Iban And Their Religion’ — Jensen’s scholarly interpretation of the inter-relationships between social organisation, economics and religious belief among the Ibans was published by Clarendon Press.

‘Where Hornbills Fly’, on the other hand, is Jensen’s personal memoir as a young man of 26, who was filled with a sense of adventure, as he made his way by boat from London to Sarawak in 1959 and experienced the thrills of a new country, which introduced him to new cultures and landscapes.

He lived with the Iban in Ulu Undup for over a year before moving to Lemanak at Ridan. There, Jensen, who was no longer attached to the Anglican Mission, devised, organised and administered the Lemanak Development Scheme over a three-year period between 1960 and 1963. He picked up the language during his stay and eventually spoke Iban well and understood nuances of Iban words and proverbs, all of which he used effectively in his work at Ridan.

For those of my generation, those whose childhoods were centred around the longhouse, Jensen’s acute observation of life in the longhouse with the people of Ulu Undup and later Lemanak, serves as a refreshing reminder of what a longhouse society was like 50 years ago.

However, most of the rituals — taboos to observe during farming or childbirth or deaths and many others meant to protect the well being of the community — are now gone. Tradition beliefs dominated rituals and daily activities of living, but these began to be replaced by the modernising influence of education and Christian teaching.

Education, even then, was key to managing and adapting change. Dwen (Datuk Edwin Tangkun) had his basic education with the Anglican Mission in Simanggang.

He could see no future in perpetuating the practice of slash and burn farming. He planted rubber, wet padi and set up cooperative societies. Datuk Edwin Tangkin, as many would remember, later became a respected Member of Parliament.

While the Iban in Ulu Undup, enlightened by the leadership exemplified by Dwen, sought to adapt to the inevitability of change, those in Lemanak who were less exposed to outside influence, chose to cling to the ways of their ancestors. Their life was dictated by the circle of hill padi planting — jungle clearing, burning, planting, weeding and harvesting. The response of the Lemanak to the pressures of population growth and infertile surroundings was to follow the old solution of mass migration (pindah) practised by the Ibans over generations. Tuai Rumah Gasing of Ulu Lemanak tried to bring his people to the Fourth Division only to be sent back. He never recovered from this ‘loss of face’. There was no more land to accommodate the old ways. Pindah had been prohibited.

Jensen was asked to set up the Development Centre at Ridan as a way of addressing the dilemma of Lemanak. How he and his dedicated loyal staff — Nanyie, Ramping, Dundang, Jabah, Bidah and Kelunchai — persevered, forms the central core of the book.

The book is rightly dedicated to those who made Ridan. It is a classic case study of managing change, a model for rural development, which in the case of Ridan, proved to be a success. As one reads this account, filled with Jensen’s sense of humour and strengthened by his flair for the language, one senses a series of frustrations — lot of talk that leads to nowhere. Patience is constantly tested. Trust must be gained. This is a familiar feeling for those who were involved in rural development in Sarawak in the 1960s.

It was only after a year had passed that Jensen was able to write “a flight of hornbills … honoured Ridan with a fly-past. How could I ask for a more auspicious augury?” No prize here for guessing what inspired the title of the book.

A large part of ‘Where Hornbills Fly’ covers serious topics on societal adaptation. Jensen has deliberately chosen to present the story in the form of a personal memoir, with snippets of history introduced by way of anecdotal conversation, which makes for easy reading. It also includes observation of the more current changes in Sarawak, as seen when he revisited these areas some 40 years later.

It is a book with universal appeal. It should certainly interest the younger generation of educated Ibans who wish to know how their parents and the generation before them lived and practised their traditional lives and culture, and yet had to learn to adapt to the changing times.

Some, however, may quibble at the subtitle. The Iban never ‘hunted’ for heads. But, rightly or wrongly, the Iban had been branded as such, and the publishers’ mind sensed it as a slogan for effective marketing.

That aside, Jensen has written a memoir in the language of real literature. His observant eye and sensitive ear, attributes that were to serve him well later in his career as an international diplomat, have captured vivid images — of his journey from London to Sarawak, the open air market in Kuching, the rural shop in Sebuyau, the fighting cocks tethered along the ruai of longhouses, the time spent living with the people he has both sympathy and respect for, despite their foibles. Jensen captures well the Iban rendition of words such as Dwen, which in Iban means Edwin, Niggle for Nigel, Skin for Scheme.

In the words of the prominent development economist Sir Richard Jolly in the flyleaf of ‘Where Hornbills Fly’: “Every page of this brilliantly written book evokes the colours, sounds and even the smells of Sarawak in the 1960s.”

I enjoyed reading ‘Where Hornbills Fly’, and remembering those times, which are never to return. I believe Jensen’s observations remain valid in the continuing context of the challenge for the Iban to adapt to the contemporary world.

It is a book well worth reading.

Datuk Dr Erik Jensen was born on Dec 21, 1933. He was educated at St Paul’s School, London and holds a Master’s degree and doctorate from Oxford University as well as a Master’s degree from Harvard University. In 1992, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in Korea, and in 1993, an honorary Doctor of Letters in Connecticut.

He also initiated the Bukit Batu Scheme and many other subsidiary activities in different parts of the Second Division. From 1964, as divisional development officer, he supervised the movement of the Iban from Ulu Delok to the Skrang Scheme and planned a range of development projects, including the road which crosses the Lemanak to Lubok Antu as a means not only of improving communications, but also of opening up an otherwise inaccessible area for development.

After leaving Sarawak, he joined the United Nations, serving in various posts in New York and Geneva and on special political missions to Nigeria, Bahrain, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, East Timor, Chad, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea Bissau and Western Sahara, where for four years he was head of a major international peacekeeping operation. He retired as Under Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1998 and currently is Warburg professor of International Relations at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

For his contributions, the state government conferred the Panglima Setia Bintang Sarawak (PSBS) award to him in 2003.

Source;The Borneo Post BY Tan Sri Datuk Amar Leo Moggie.

Faith, Love and Hope in Borneo. .(Book Review) - Borneo Research Bulletin | HighBeam Research

Faith, Love and Hope in Borneo. .(Book Review) - Borneo Research Bulletin | HighBeam Research

Faith, Love and Hope in Borneo :-(Theological and cultural anthropological experiences and insights among the Dayaks of Kotawaringin, excerpted from the diaries of Johann Georg Baier, 1928-1932, pioneer missionary in Southwest Borneo).

This work differs markedly from the numerous popular publications on missionary themes. The reader finds himself gripped by the narrative--the moving description of Elisabeth Baier's death in a remote jungle village is a case in point--and finds it impossible to put the book down until he has reached the conclusion. He will refer back to it again and again, especially when confronted with the charge that missionary activity is simply a vestigial manifestation of a thoroughly outdated Western superiority complex. According to this charge, attempts at proselytization are an irresponsible interference with the harmonious lifestyle of primitive tribes, an almost criminal disruption of these simple peoples' idyllic, harmonious culture.

Johann Georg Baier, the original author of these diaries, skillfully edited by his son Martin, worked as a missionary in the third decade of the last century. He found it necessary to defend himself from the attacks of literary romantics as well as ideologically prejudiced ethnologists. He writes an unvarnished report on life among the Dayaks of Kotawaringin in Borneo; he records their religious customs, then in the late stages of disintegration as a result of inner decadence as well as external Islamic and Western influences. His narrative may be taken as a telling rebuttal of the fashionable anti-missionary cliches of the day.

The son and editor of the elder Baier's memoirs focuses the work on both his father's and his own experiences and research in the fields of theology and cultural anthropology. Martin's doctoral thesis, "Customary Fines of the Ngaju-Dayak," draws on the Basel Mission pioneers' notes, augmented by his own studies and research. They are indeed a treasure trove of old Indonesian ritual--even if the macabre details on the Dayak's mortuary treatment of dead bodies may shock the aesthetic sensibilities of European readers! One useful feature of this book is the fact that obsolete and obscure terms and references are explained in the introduction, and by relevant footnotes.

The author's main aim, however, is contained in the sub-title: Faith, Love and Hope in Borneo. It is subtly chosen, seemingly misleading if the reader expected a sentimental work of edification. For one thing, this title is a deliberate allusion to Love and Death in Bali (Liebe und Tod auf Bali) by Vicky Baum, a work in which the author depicts an exotic culture in lurid colors though she has only the most superficial knowledge of the subject. For another, the author of the diary lived his life fully, indeed painfully, by the three Pauline concepts (1. Cor. 13.13). Johann Georg Baier traveled to Borneo in 1924, as one of the early pioneers of the Basel Mission on this island. He and his wife Elisabeth, a former Swiss deaconess , were motivated by Faith in the Gospel of Christ and its power to raise the Dayaks from their spiritual and moral degeneracy to a new life. His work was inspired by the Hope that even if his efforts seemed to bring very few tangible results at the time, the new faith would eventually s ucceed; a hope which, in view of the later growth of the indigenous church, was not unfounded. Above all, Baler was moved by Love for the lost souls, a commitment that never wavered. Even after the loss of his first wife, it gave him the strength to look up to his Heavenly Master, take his congregation into his heart, and to find courage to carry on, after 1932 in company with his second wife, the missionary nurse Luise nee Junginger.

Baier was also a powerful speaker, who could advocate the missionary cause in his home country. Among his effects (1988) was a small communion set, with the inscription: "Georg Baier, 1 .Cor. 11, 26--with true affection, from your brothers and sisters of the mountains," (Schwabische Alb.--here referring to the senior Johann Baier's own native pietistic community in Southern Germany).

Pantang Iban.(Book Review) - Borneo Research Bulletin | HighBeam Research

Pantang Iban. .(Book Review) - Borneo Research Bulletin | HighBeam Research

Pantang Iban , by Jeroen Franken and Sven Torfinn (1998) Rotterdam: Typography & Other Serious Matters, 160 pages.

The Dutch have been arriving in Borneo for several centuries on various missions ranging from extracting mineral wealth to obtaining scientific knowledge. We shouldn't be too surprised to learn that some have come in the late twentieth century in search of tattoos, as were the authors of this appropriately titled book. (One meaning of pantang in the Iban language is tattoo.) But they were not simply out to document what they saw as Iban "fading tattoo values"--they also had their own bodies tattooed in older designs and tattooed Iban men in exchange. This was their self-described "bejalai adventure through Sarawak," and they traveled to the Skrang and Bangkit rivers in search of men who still knew the old methods.

There are several components to the book. The main text (by Franken) sets down the authors' travel itinerary and experiences, and it is probably the least noteworthy part of the book. The text conforms to the usual romantic travelogue, offering an attempt at "in your face" journalism with a few long,hyphenated adjectives. For example, in describing the pain of being tattooed, Franken calls it a "there's-a-bunch-of-flies-gathering-in-the-hollow-of-my-knee irritation." Perhaps it makes more sense to view it as a Dutchman writing in English, given the Dutch propensity for long adjectival phrases in writing.

Another part of the book is the margin notes in light print. These cover aspects of Iban culture and religion drawn from various sources, including Richards' An Iban-English Dictionary and Sellato's Hornbill and Dragon. Some of these notes are uncredited and may have been derived from the author's own "field" notes. Then, between each chapter are renditions of Iban creation myths adapted from The Sea Dyaks and Other Races of Borneo (edited by Anthony Richards) and Basic Iban Design (by Augustine Anggat Ganjing).

The photograph section takes up about half the book. It is a collection of beautiful black-and-white photographs of tattoos; tattooing, and longhouse life. The photos (by Sven Torfinn) seemed to me to be something the late Hedda Morrison might have taken--if she had been a young male in the 1990s looking for adventure. My favorite is the very first, a two-page spread of six handsome men tattooed from throat to ankle, dressed in ritual garb, and standing on the tanju' of their longhouse. Then there is the one of a young boy, in mid-backward-jump, joining his friends for a cool swim in the river. But in looking through the photos, one is immediately aware, and maybe not a little alarmed, that there are no captions to tell the reader the whos, whens, and wheres. While the text is not meant to be anthropologically authoritative and can be forgiven for these deficiencies, the lack of photo captions seemed the most lacking part of this stylish book.

The final section is devoted to tattoo designs, and these are set down type by type in word, photo, and line drawing. There are two subsections--old-style and new-style designs. The division between the old and the new comes into a bit of a contradiction, however. In this section, Franken says the old-style dates back 250 years, while the new-style is only 100 years old. Yet in the introduction, he cites Ida Pfeiffer's 1852 journey through western Borneo and her claim that the Iban did not tattoo. He also cites the observation by Hose and Shelford in the 1920s that the Iban were "the most extensively tattooed tribe in Borneo." This accords with my own findings in the Dutch colonial archives and suggests that the Iban did not start to tattoo themselves in a serious way until around the turn of the twentieth century, as they ventured further and further into central Borneo in search of forest products, and thereby picking up tattooing from people like the Kayan and Kenyah.

In addition, the buah terong design (or what I know as the bungai terong) finds a place in both sets, which suggests the old/new division is rather arbitrary. The meanings ascribed to the designs are sometimes consistent with what I have heard or read, and sometimes at variance, but that is no real surprise--the Iban are not so homogeneous as we might be tempted to believe. One of the most pleasing parts of this section is that the two Iban artists who drew many of the patterns are given copyright credit.

BORNEO TATTOO:Bungai Terong..CIRCA 1930

Folk Stories from Sarawak(Iban ,Bidayuh,Orang Ulu & Melanau Stories)

Iban  Stories - Stories From Sarawak
by Munan, Heid

About This Book

The Iban people (Sea Dayaks) of Borneo live mainly in Sarawak and Kalimantan. Like other people belonging to "tribes", the Iban have a strong oral tradition. From among their many traditional stories about magic, animal spirits and the ways of the jungle, Heidi Munan has selected eight for this collection. Written in clear and simple language, the stories are suitable both for the school student and the adult.

Bidayuh  Stories - Stories From Sarawak by Munan, HeidiAbout This Book 

The Bidayuh people (Land Dayaks) live mainly in Kuching in Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Like other people belonging to "tribes", the Bidayuh have a strong oral tradition. From among their many traditional stories about magic, animal spirits and the ways of the jungle, Heidi Munan has selected seven for this collection. Written in clear and simple language, the stories are suitable both for the school student and the adult.

Orang Ulu Stories - Stories From Sarawak
by Munan, Heid

About This Book

The Orang Ulu are tribal peoples who live in the interior of Sarawak. Their oral traditions allow them to transmit their beliefs and culture from one generation to the next. One of their stories relates how vanity caused the python, who was once the King of the snakes, to lose his exalted position to the cobra. This short story, How the Python Got His Beautiful Skin, is one of eight in this compilation of enduring stories told by the Orang Ulu. For readers aged eight and older.

Melanau Stories - Stories From Sarawak
by Munan, Heidi
About This Book
The Melanau people live in Sarawak and Kalimantan on Borneo. From among their many traditional stories, Heidi Munan has selected nine for this collection. Written in clear and simple language, the stories are suitable both for the school student and the adult.

READ THE E-BOOK:STORIES FROM SARAWAK HERE:-

New Book:- Law on Native Customary Land in Sarawak

The development of the law on native customary rights and ownership of land in Sarawak is the focus of a new book by former state Attorney-General Datuk JC Fong.

Titled Law on Native Customary Land in Sarawak(LINK), it sets out the law and customs relating to the creation of native rights and acquisition of native titles to land in the state.

It also looks at how such land may be inherited, given away, transferred or lost and how the rights to such land can be extinguished when the land is needed for development.

According to Fong, the book is not about his personal opinion or views on native customary laws in Sarawak.

Instead, he aimed to provide a clear understanding of how native customary law had developed since 1841, when James Brooke landed in Sarawak.

“In writing this book, my sincere desire is to share my knowledge on a subject which I have acquired not just through the practice of this area of the law, but also from an in-depth study of historical documents, including the Land Orders made by the Rajahs.

“I intend to make the law clearer and have no wish to engage in debate with those who clamour for what the customary law ought to be. Those are matters within the purview of the Majlis Adat Istiadat and the State Legislative Assembly,” 

Law on Native Customary Land in Sarawak is Fong’s second book. The 370-page hardback is published by Sweet and Maxwell Asia and is priced at RM350.

This book examines the rather unique system of land held under native customary rights within the Torrens System which accords protection of proprietary rights to land based upon the registration of titles and of interests in land.
This book provides a comprehensive account on the development of the law on native rights and ownership over land since the assumption of sovereignty, in the early 1840s, by the first Rajah of Sarawak, Sir James Brooke, over what are now the Kuching and Samarahan Divisions. Sarawak was, then, a sparsely populated country. However, the natives already had their own customs and land ownership tradition, based largely on Indonesian Adat which had been well documented in the Secretariat Circular No 12/1939.

The author carefully analyses what has received judicial recognition, that is, the common law “respects the pre-existence of rights under native laws or customs though such rights may be taken away by clear and unambiguous words in a legislation” and considers whether the common law or international customary law creates rights for natives over areas which were not occupied by them or their forefathers, at the time when the Rajah assumed sovereignty over the respective regions of what is now modern Sarawak.

The law relating to creation, acquisition, dealings over, loss and extinguishment of native customary rights over land is set out in detail and with accuracy. The author also addresses the perception gap between what the natives view as practices or customs which enable them to claim rights to land, and the customs which the law recognises or have the force of law, for the purposes of creating or acquiring rights over land. What gave rise to this perception gap is explained, together with the pertinent point as to whether the civil courts have the jurisdiction to modify, discard or change well established native customs which the courts have a duty to take judicial notice of.

All the recent judgments relating to native customary land are analysed and their effect on native claims to land professionally scrutinised. The efforts by the State to develop native customary land, deemed valuable assets to the natives, to enhance their economic value and potentials, are considered in the last chapter.

This book will be of great interest to lawyers, owners and developers of native customary land and those who are keen to acquire more knowledge of the land system of the State of Sarawak or to understand how the laws passed by the Rajahs and later by the Legislature of Sarawak have restricted or set conditions for the creation and recognition of native customary rights over land.

Tourism, Commodification of Dayak Culture and Politics of identity in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Title:Identitas Dayak :Komofifikasi dan Politik Kebudayaan

Author: Dr. Yekti Maunati Publisher: LKIS

 Place of Publication: Yogyakarta 

Year of Publication: 2004

 406 pages

MISS INDONESIA (LEFT) & MISS MALAYSIA (RIGHT)..WEARING CONTEMPORARY
DAYAK's TRADITIONAL COSTUME FROM BORNEO DURING MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT 2007.

The book about the differences in cultural and political identities of Dayak community in East Kalimantan .

Summary of the contents of the book; 
This book contains a brief review of the literature-the literature on Borneo. Where is the policy of western writers tend to describe people of Borneo as a diverse society, with a focus on  indigenous-exotic customs, such as long houses, the habit of hunting and herd etc.  

In chapter 2, is an ethnographic report on the community and History of LONG MEKAR, where the author described the village  landscape , linkages with the town and surrounding villages, demographics characteristics, as well as economic activities. Unlike Transmigration Villages that funded by the government, LONG MEKAR  was originally founded by the Dayak themselves. Their settlements are based on kinship relations. Just like many villages in Indonesia, the Dayak people at LONG MEKAR economically at marginal position and therefore  they living in a mobile that make  easier for them to do a jobs which not permanent job and  instead of seasonal job such  as a salesman and marginalised cultivators. In this chapter also examines the tattoos and ear lobe hole deliberately extended, generational changes, mutual help, social organization and kinship, mobility, the symbolism of the Dayak community, and melting relations of men and women. 

DAYAK TATTOO

Chapter 3, the peeling problem of land disputes and internal conflicts, development projects undertaken by the new order government's , particularly in managing the  forests, has made a Dayak identity becomes problematic, because they took their forest and the land of the Dayak people meant to destroy the identification they were originally with the self and its territory. Dayak customary law and land ownership are ignored by the  new order  government's , and although land titling system has been effective, non-Dayak people do not respect it, and often manipulate because of  loose or open interpretations over land boundaries. in LONG MEKAR, land disputes that involving both outsiders and local people has increased from year to year and greatly affect the processes of the local Dayak community identity.

Chapter 4, discussing  the economic aspects and cultural aspects of tourism industry. Tourism is not the central issue, but explored more as a way to understand how the Dayak identity encourages the commodification of culture which in turn leads to the formation of back and redefining what is meant  "Dayak" Dayak society's role in a politics and the country was reviewed .


Chapter 5 because it is not a possible to discuss all issues of political participation of  Dayak community. hence in this chapter is limited only to aspects that are considered to have a significant impact on identity formation. The first inter-state relations and the formation of Dayak identity. politics both local and Dayak identity. view of Indonesia as a country, modern nation that has long been a central political aspirations for this country. remember this was the relocation of indigenous people have long been the platform for this country. Contrary to this project, the promotion of ethnic tourism in East Kalimantan encourage people to maintain, preserve and develop their tradition-the old tradition for the sake of tourism. In this case, local politics, after the fall of the new order, ethnic conflicts and religious the more widespread.

Chapter 6, presents a brief review and conclusion that brings together elements of different and contradictory that together make up the experience and definition of contemporary Dayak identity.

Borneo (Bradt Travel Guide)

by Tamara Thiessen

Bradt Travel Guides, 2009 - History - 312 pages

 

Sandwiched between the South China, Sulu and Celebes Seas, Borneo is the third biggest island in the world and also the only island which is home to three nations: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Its biodiversity is also one of the greatest in the world, with tropical rainforest and rivers covering over 70 percent of Malaysian Borneo and hundreds of unique flora and fauna species. Despite extensive.........

Kanang: The Story of A Hero (2010)

 By Maznan Noordin
 Year of Publication(2010)

Kanang anak Langkau, a soldier who stands among us today as a man who has been granted two of the nation's highest military awards – The Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) and the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB), ...(page140)

The Story of a Warrior. This is a true story. Kanang Anak Langkau, an extraordinary tracker noted for his bravery, was conferred two gallantry awards, the Negara Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) (the highest gallantry award) and the Pingat Gagah Berani (PGB) (another medal for bravery) in the course of his duty.

His exploits were many, he was even called to duty on his wedding day. Whenever he fought, he would dream of a Pak Haji (a religious man). He fought with his troops on Hari Gawai (Harvest Festival fo the Ibans) during the Setia 8/97 movement.

To avoid badi, evil influences, he once counsumed the brains of a terrorist he had killed. He was almost defeated by the Siliwangi army during Konfrantasi. A member of the Setia Special Operation Force in early 1980, Kanang was seriously injured in an attack to save his comrades. He was unconcious for a whole week from his injuries, and spent a month in the Intensive Care Unit. He spent an entire year in hospital after that.

The Book:-Rain Forests of the World.

By Rolf E. Johnson, Nathan E. Kraucunas
(2002)
Nature(670pages)

KEY FACTS • Dyak people were the first to live on the island of Borneo. • Dyaks hunt birds and monkeys using long blowguns. • Once feared as headhunters, the Dyaks are now admired for their deep understanding of the forests. ...(page 156)

THE BOOK:-Hachiko: the true story of a loyal dog (2004)

By Pamela S. Turner, Yan Nascimbene

Relates the true story of a dog who accompanied his master to and from a Tokyo train station for a year and, after his master died, continued to wait for him there every day for many years.

Reviews

Editorial Review - Kirkus Reviews 

Hachiko was a real dog who lived in Tokyo from 1923 to 1935. For almost ten years after his master's death, Hachiko waited at the busy Shibuya train station in Tokyo, ever hopeful that his owner would return. This touching tale of a dog's devotion to his master is a well-known story in Japan, told here in first person through the eyes of a fictional boy named Kentaro. The boy and many others care ..

Editorial Review - Reed Business Information (c) 2004

Gr 1-4-In 1932, a dog won the hearts of the people of Japan after a newspaper article described his loyalty to his owner. Every afternoon, Hachiko would wait at the train station for Dr. Ueno. After the man died suddenly in 1925, the animal returned to the station every day to wait for him, until his own death in 1935. A bronze statue was placed at Shibuya Station to honor this extraordinary canine, and a festival is held there every April. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy named Kentaro, and his imagined interactions with the dog make the events come alive as he worries about and befriends this special creature. Years later, he is saddened by the news of the animal's death. The softly hued watercolor illustrations have a simplicity that brings to mind the style of Japanese woodcuts. Each small image of Hachiko expresses the personality of this furry, gentle creature. An author's note clarifies "The Story behind the Story." This touching tale will capture the hearts of young dog lovers.-Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA 

Review:

User Review  - Loren - Goodreads

Hachiko, a dog who kept vigil for nearly 10 years at a Tokyo train station, waiting for his deceased master to return from work. Turner unfolds this poignant true story in the natural, unaffected .....

ME AT HACHIKO STATUE @ SHIBUYA STATION TOKYO

Related Post: how well can we wait??

Friends from jesuskvinne on GodTube.

Village mothers, city daughters: women and urbanization in Sarawak.

By Cheng Sim Hew(2007)

Synopsis

This unique volume draws together a compelling collection of studies on the diverse and transformatory experiences of women as they encounter the forces of modernization altering the face of contemporary Borneo. The authors, all locally based scholars specializing in gender issues, shed much-needed light upon this hidden academic area. It presents the human and gendered face of development and discusses the pressing issue of urbanization and rural-urban migration in its many facets as experienced by women in this multicultural and fascinating region in Southeast Asia.

Media and nation building: how the Iban became Malaysian.

Book Title:-

MEDIA AND NATION BUILDING:
How the Iban became Malaysian
by John Postil
About the author:-
John Postill is a Research Fellow at the University of Bremen. He is currently studying e-government and ethnicity in Malaysia. Trained as an anthropologist at University College London, he has published a range of articles on the anthropology of media, with special reference to Malaysian Borneo.Genre:Political Science.

This book explores, for the first time, this relationship by means of a paradigmatic case of successful nation building: Malaysia. Based on extended fieldwork and historical research, the author follows the diffusion, adoption, and social uses of media among the Iban of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo and demonstrates the wide-ranging process of nation building that has accompanied the Iban adoption of radio, clocks, print media, and television. In less than four decades, Iban longhouses ('villages under one roof') have become media organizations shaped by the official ideology of Malaysia, a country hastily formed in 1963 by conjoining four disparate territories.
"The book excellently traces the development of both print and electronic media, which are central in making the Iban Malaysian ... [It] contributes much to our understanding of the complex process of change that has occurred among the Ibans."   ·  Asian Anthropology

“This book offers an open challenge to the relations between the media and nation-building, based on Postill’s fieldwork in Iban society, and I believe that his setting of key questions is unerring and precise… Postill is astute in successfully uncovering an untouched point in Iban studies, as well as media studies.”   ·  Asian Journal of Social Science

THE BOOK:-Borneo log: the struggle for Sarawak's forests(1995)

The Author
William W. Bevis
About this Book:-

After a year as exchange professor at a Tokyo university, William Bevis spent part of the next year traveling in Sarawak, a Malaysian state located on the northern part of the island of Borneo. About the size of New York, it has a population of 1.7 million people living, outside of a few towns, in a world of jungle and brown rivers. There the rainforest is being cut rapidly, local corruption and greed siphon off most of the profit, native rights and land uses are being obliterated, and much of the fine timber is shipped to Japan to become plywood forms for concrete that are thrown away after two uses. This book is a travel narrative and also a serious environmental study of exploitation of third-world resources. During his stay in Sarawak, the author lived with both native activists and timber camp managers, seeking to understand the motives and actions of Japanese companies, Chinese entrepreneurs, and the native population most affected by the timber trade. Borneo Log is not simply a book about environmental politics in a far-away place. The power of the book lies in the author's extraordinary ability to bring home the related global disasters of the destruction of the world's rainforests and its indigenous peoples. This is a personal and passionate account of how ordinary men and women are fighting to defend a way of life that is rapidly disappearing along with their country's resources, and how the problems of their lives echo in our own.

Review: Borneo log
Editorial Review - Kirkus Reviews
In a riveting account both beautiful and shocking, Bevis (English/Univ. of Montana) travels upriver in Borneo to witness the destruction of the world's oldest rain forests and one of the world's oldest cultures. Few Europeans, and fewer environmentalists, have traveled to Sarawak's interior to gain a firsthand understanding of how the Penan, the region's indigenous forest people, have fallen prey .....